A Brief Compilation of Female Action Stars Fighting With Their Thighs

Yes, female action stars do tend to take opponents down with their thighs a whole lot. Yes, it does look really cool most of the time. But male action stars aren’t put in the same position.

Dominick Nero created a short video essay for Fandor Keyframe that showcases “A signature fight move, as dubious as it is ubiquitous.” He writes:

It’s no secret that film portrayals of women tend to be over-sexualized, especially in Hollywood action movies and superhero blockbusters. From unrealistic costumes to downright pornographic cinematography, it seems that women’s bodies are always unnecessarily exposed onscreen.

We see this kind of move a lot but in the scheme of Hollywood’s gender bias issues it’s not a big deal in my mind. Though, as the video is meant to, it gets you thinking. These kinds of moves, popular in Brazilian Ju Jitsu (as many commenters have pointed out) and performed by men in real life, are only really utilized on screen by women.

Heh, heh; I also find it weird in fights choreographed for movies that men never hit their opponent anywhere near the groin area even when that area is completely left open and undefended during a fight, even when their opponent is killing them. Sometimes I yell, “Jesus Christ, knee him in the groin! He’ll let go!” when I’m watching the bad guy choke Our Hero to death in a face-to-face/hands-on-throat way. It’s like they think that wouldn’t be cricket or something.

I see moves like that in wrestling on occasion, used by both men and women. It’s based around smaller fighters using their opponent’s weight and size against them, so there is a legitimate basis in why a female character would use it against a male, in a decent percentage of match ups, plus in general it looks flashy and cool. That said, it feels like something that’s reached the point of being used and copied so often that any original logic behind it is long gone in a lot of instances. Even if it is being used with forethought in most cases, it still speaks to a trend of small, lithe women being the only type of leading lady we’re allowed in action movies, and buff, statuesque men being the only type of leading man we’re allowed. The homogeny of this could easily be solved by having broader acceptance of body diversity and more thought being put into how fighting styles can further a character’s personality.

“…and more thought being put into how fighting styles can further a character’s personality.”
They actually do that in Agent Carter. Dottie, a Black Widow, has a primitive form of what we would consider martial arts, while Peggy, who’s had no such training, is a brawler.